May 5th Elections: Vote, and demand race equality

In many ways the in-out European referendum is overshadowing the local and Mayoral Election scheduled for this Thursday. They shouldn’t.

With ever decreasing local authority budgets, prioritising where and how that money should be spent is absolutely crucial. For example, local BME youth groups or elderly groups have been decimated over the last few years. Many of these local groups function with extremely little funds yet they fantastically serve a community given young men and women a safe space, direction and place they can call theirs. For our elders, these centres are often the only places supporting their social interaction.

The public housing crisis too has it hard BME communities with some London local authorities seeking to move families away from their schools, friends and families so that they might realise a higher rent or sale of property to financial speculators.

Operation Black Vote would never tell you how to vote, but if we are to confront persistent race inequality we must have a stronger political voice.

This Thursday our mantra is simple: Vote and demand race equality.

Simon Woolley